Loading and unloading attachment for railway-cars.



I No. 769,315. V PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

v 0! T. KEMP.

LOADING AND UNLOADING ATTACHMENT FOR RAILWAY CARS.

AgPLIOATIQN FILED MAY 11, 1904. I N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETQ-SHEET -1.

PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

h 0.T. KEMP. LOADING AND UNLOADING ATTACHMENT FOR RAILWAY CARS. I

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1904. N0 MODEL. Janna-SHEET 2.

umnmlllnlllm muunnnnm from said cars.

' UNITED STATES Patented September 6, 1904.

PATENT ()FFICE.

\ TIT:

I LOADING. AND UNLOADING ATTACH MElflT FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFIGA'IIbN forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,315, dated September 6, 1904.

' Application filed'May 11, 1904.

zen of the United States, residing at Bolivar,

in the county of J eiferson and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Loading and Unloading I Attachments for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

The primary object of this invention is to facilitate the handling ofrailroad-rails when loading them upon cars or unloading them The intention isto utilize the locomotive as means for effecting what has generally been accomplished by hand.

The invention is in the nature of an attachment to be readily fitted to the ordinary type of car employed for hauling railroad-rails and like material.

The attachment consists of a skid and a crane and fastening means for securing them to the sides of the car.

For a full description of the invention and 'the merits thereof and also to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means for effecting the result reference is to be had to the following description and drawings hereto attached.

VVhilethe essential and characteristic features of the invention are susceptible of modification, still the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the invention applied to a'car. Fig. 2 is a detail View of the hanger for adjustably supporting the lower end of the skid. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section of the draft-bar for connecting the car to be loaded or unloaded with either the engine or car permanently coupled thereto. Fig.4 is a side view of a car having the attachment in position. Fig. 5 is a crosssection of a car equipped with the loading and unloading means. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the lower portion of the crane. Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of the upper portion of the skid and the attaching Serial No. 207,441. (No model.)

'. means for connecting the same to a side of the car;

Corresponding and likeparts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

The crane is indicated at 1, and its lower end is forked, as shown at 2, to embrace opposite sides of a side of the car 3 and is held in place by a set-screw 4:, threaded into an opening of a member or side of the fork 2. A box 5 is provided near the lower end of the crane and receives a pair of sheave-pulleys 6. A plate 7 is arranged near the lower end of the crane 1 and at the juncture of the fork 2- therewith and overlaps the top'edge of the side of the car to which the crane is fitted, so as to form a firm support therefor. A pair of lugs 8 are pendent from the terminals of the plate 7 and embrace the sides of the body to which the crane is fitted, thereby preventing lateral displacement of the plate 7 and holding the crane steady when subjected to strain tending to turn the crane upon the car side. A sheave-pulley 9 is located at the end of the crane, and a second sheave-pulley 10 is arranged at the upper. end of the vertical portion of the crane. The operating rope, cable, or like flexible connection 11 passes over the sheave-pulleys 9 and 10 and between the sheave-pulleys 6 and is connected to the engine or other part coupled to and movable with the engine, as indicated at 12. Grapples 13 are connected to the end of the rope or cable 11 dangling from the crane 1. The grapples 13 may be of any substantial construction, soas toperform efficient workwhen in service.

The skid 14 may be of metal case-hardened upon its upper side'or may consist of a framework of either metal or wood, or both combined, lined upon its upper side with steel plates hardened so as to resist wear. Flanges 15 project upward from the longitudinal edges of the skid 14: to prevent'lateral displacement of the rail when moving upon the skid. The

l a I K I sk1d 14 is arranged at one side of the car 3 and may be of any determinate length, so as to avoid atoo great pitch. The attaching means for connecting the upper end of the skin to a side of the car 3 consists of a plate 16 to overlap and rest upon the upper edge of a side of the car and clips 17, pendent from the plate 16, to embrace opposite sides of the part to which the skid is connected. Setscrews 18 are threaded into openings formed in a member of the clips 17, so as to hold the skid when properly applied. A standard 19 projects vertically from one side of the plate 16 and has an overhanging portion 20 at its upper end, between which and the standard 19 is pivoted a dog 21, which automatically grips the rail and prevents any possible slipping thereof when once elevated to the top of the skid. Rollers 22 are located near the foot of the standard 19 immediately below the dog 21 for the rail to glide over either when ascending or descending, according as the car is loading or unloading. The skid 14. is pivoted near its upper end to the plate 16, and the terminal portion is beveled to provide ample clearance for the rail. The lower portion of the skid is supported by means of a hanger, the same consisting of a hook 23, an extensible rod 24, connected by a turnbuckle 25, and a stirrup 26, the outer member 27 of which projects vertically to a height to prevent lateral displacement of the rail when riding upon the skid.

The draft-bar interposed between the car to be loaded or unloaded and the engine or the car connected tothe engine is composed of telescoping members 28 and 29, each of which is coupled to the respective cars. The inner end of the member 28 is provided with a cross-head 30, which operates in a slot 31 of the member 29. The relative movement or play of the members 28 and 29 is such as to correspond to the raising and lowering of the grapples 13, thereby relieving the operating rope or cable 14: of all strain except that required for lifting the load. It is not always possible to stop the movement of the engine at the proper instant, and if no provision were made for relieving the cable 1 1 of abnormal strain it and the crane would soon become unfitted for service. The provision of the draftbar causes the car being loaded or unloaded to move with the engine after the grapples 13 have been lifted to the required elevation. Hence said cable cannot be overstrained.

The car to be loaded or unloaded has the skid and crane fitted to the sides thereof substantially in the manner herein disclosed, and

for loading the rails upon the car the operation practiced is as follows: The rails previously dumped alongside the track are moved one at a time to cause one end to rest upon the lower portion of the skid 14, after which the car 3 is moved so as to cause the rail to ride upon the skid until it is approximately poised upon the upper end of the skid or the rotary support 22. At this time the car is brought to a standstill, and the rail is moved from the skid either upon brackets 32, applied to the same side of the car as the skid, or is permitted to drop directly into the car. If preferred, the rail may be caught by the grapple 13 and lowered into the car. The car is now moved back to its original position, and the remaining rails are loaded therein in substantially the same manner as described. For unloading the car the rails are caught by the grapples 13 one at a time, and the engine or car to which the rope or cable 11 is attached is moved away from the car 2, thereby elevating the rail, which may be deposited upon the brackets 32 and moved upon the skid or may be swung to the latter direct. After being received upon the upper end of the skid 1 1 the rail is tilted to cause its lower end to come in contact with the ground, after which the car is moved to cause the rail to slide or move downward upon the skid. After the rail is discharged the car is moved to a normal position and the succeeding rails unloaded in the manner stated.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is- 1. A loading and an unloading device comprising a plate to rest upon the side of a car, clips pendent from said plate to embrace opposite faces of said side, and a skid pivotall y connected to said plate and movable in a plane about parallel therewith, substantially as described.

2. In a loading and unloading appliance for railway-cars, the combination of a skid pivotally connected at its upper end to a side of the car, and a hanger supporting the lower end of the skid from the side of the car to which the skid is connected, said hanger having a guard projected upward from its outer end, substantially as specified.

3. In a loading and unloading appliance for railway-cars, the combination of a skid pivotally connected at its upper end to a side of the car, and a hanger adjustably supporting the lower end of the skid from the side of the car to which the skid is connected, said hanger having the outer portion upwardly extended to form a guard to prevent lateral displacement of the rail from the skid, substantially as set forth.

4.. In loading and unloading appliance for railway-cars, a plate, means for securing said plate to a side of the car, a standard projected upward from said plate, a dog pivoted to said standard, and a skid attached at its upper end to said plate, substantially as set forth.

5. In a loading and unloading appliance substantially as set forth, the combination of a plate, means for connecting said plate to a nected at its opposite end with the engine, side of the car, a skid attached to said plate, and a skidarranged lengthwise of the-oppoand a roller-support connected to the plate at site side of the car and connected thereto, subthe upper end of the skid, substantially asdestantially as set forth. 5 scribed. In testimony whereof I afiiX my signature in I 5 6. A loading and unloading appliance compresence of two witnesses. prising a crane, means for connecting said OLIVER T. KEMP. [L. s.] crane to one side of a car, an operating rope Witnesses: or cable fitted to the crane and provided at JAs. CONWAY, IQ one end with a grapple and adapted to bec0n- T. J. BURLEIGH. 

